Family Code Night 2020
Press Contact and Release
MEDIA CONTACT:
Peney Wright
Tuscarora Intermediate Unit 11
Office: 814.542.2501, ext.118
A Special National Computer Coding Event with Huntingdon County Library and Tuscarora Intermediate 11
Event Date & Time: Tuesday, December 1st, 2020 from 6:30 – 8:15 PM
The Huntingdon County Library and Tuscarora Intermediate Unit 11 are participating in the 2020 National Family Code Nights for elementary-aged children ages 5 to 11. This is a free, virtual event being held Monday, December 1st, 2020 from 6:30 pm – 8:15 pm. No computer science or coding experience necessary!
Featured on the White House website (Jump-Starting K-5 Computer-Science Education, March 2106), this family-engaging evening event is being offered at elementary schools around the country, all in support of the national “Computer Science for All” movement. CSisElementary.org, Code.org and Hour of Code sponsor this national event.
Huntingdon County Library is the first public library in the United States to participate in this White House recognized event! (White House statement for CS for All January 2016)
Family Code Night is a free, fun, whole-community, family event at which children K-5 and their parents, or any family member, enjoy computer programming “puzzles” and perhaps do their first hour of coding together.
Our K-5 kids and parents, or family members, teams will have fun tackling self-paced coding puzzles based on Angry Birds and other familiar characters.
The Zoom room will be buzzing and full of laughter and fun, plus some important learning. We will have break-out rooms where local Huntingdon County Library Kids Who Code Club and Teen Advisory Board Members are available to coach and mentor any child and their family members.
Family engagement is vital in computer science education with our young learners. Pennsylvania Department of Education states “A) All students are capable of CS and STEM literacy and B) Success depends upon the partnership between educators, students, families, postsecondary providers, legislators, business, and industry.” (PDE statement for CS and STEM for All August 2017) Governor Tom Wolf created PAsmart Grants for all schools to apply for in order to design and expand their CS and STEM Kindergarten – 12 Grade education programs. Why?
First, parents have a special role for K-5 kids: K-5 kids’ self-beliefs are primarily influenced by their parents. It’s now understood that elementary school is when kids’ beliefs begin to become permanent, whether it’s ‘I’m not good at math’ or ‘coding is just for the nerds,’ when nothing could be farther from the truth.
Second, we increasingly see the crucial role of parents and K-5 CS learning in overcoming the digital divide among girls, lower-income kids, children from diverse backgrounds and children with special needs. Overcoming gender, economic and cultural digital bias requires us to show young kids they can master coding and computer science basics at an early age.
Good K-5 CS programs can change our kids’ lives. Over the next ten years in Pennsylvania, it is estimated that 71% of new jobs will require computer science skills. Currently, there are more than 17,000 unfilled computer science and software development jobs in Pennsylvania with an average salary of $85,000 per year. ” (PDE STEM What is STEM Education?) Computer science skills and jobs can be life changing for families in our area of central Pennsylvania.
The evening event with Huntingdon County Library and TIU 11, for our Family Code Night, will be held virtually by Zoom Meeting on Tuesday, December 1st, 2020 from 6:30 to 8:15 PM. Join in any time between 6:30 and 6:45 PM with general questions and to get set up. We’ll get families organized and ready to start coding. Then we will start the Hour of Code fun at 7:00 PM. Participation is limited so sign up quickly.
For more information, visit www.huntingdonlibrary.org/programs or contact Claire Williams at 814-643-0200 or cwilliams@huntingdonlibrary.org or Peney Wright at pwright@tiu11.org.
The Huntingdon County Library is a participating PA Forward library. PA Forward strives to promote five key literacies to Pennsylvanians: basic, information, civic and social, health, and financial. These literacies are essential to greater success in all vital roles of life: as students, as parents, as employees, as consumers, as citizens. This event highlights information literacy.
Tuscarora Intermediate Unit 11, and all state-wide IUs, promote Computer Science for All, as well as, Equal and Equitable Access to All Learners for CS and STEAM Education. TIU 11 is a proud partner of the PA Bureau of Library and Huntingdon County Library. TIU 11 is also a proud United Way partner agency.
More information on Family CodeNight is at www.FamilyCodeNight.org and the FAQ page you’ll find there.
Single Paragraph
The Huntingdon County Library and Tuscarora Intermediate Unit 11 are participating in the 2020 National Family Code Nights for elementary-aged children ages 5 to 11. It’s a fun, whole-community, family event at which children K-5 and their parents, or any family member, enjoy computer programming “puzzles” and perhaps do their first hour of coding together. This is a free, virtual event being held Monday, December 1st, 2020 from 6:30 pm – 8:15 pm. No computer science or coding experience necessary!
Invitation Style
Family Code Night
Hosted by Huntingdon County Library and TIU 11
https://www.huntingdonlibrary.org/
Tuesday, December 1, 2020
6:30 – 8:15 PM
Virtual Event: Zoom Room
Register: Family Code Night@ Huntingdon Co Library with SignUp.com
Contacts:
Claire Williams, Huntingdon County Library
cwilliams@huntingdonlibrary.org
Peney Wright, TIU 11
Schools?
Press Guide
Get local press for your school and its Family Code Night!
Here’s how:
The Organizer, Principal or other volunteer can make a few phone calls or send emails to seek local press coverage for your school’s Family Code Night.
Press love great local education stories of innovative,forward-‐looking, kid-‐oriented, school-‐community family events.
Below are talking points for such phone calls, and a draft “pitch” email you can send out about your event.
Customize all these materials as needed and desired, and get ‘em!
Sections below cover:
- The Process of Pitching a Story
- Talking Points (for your press calls)
- Press Advisory (edit and email to reporters)
- The Process:
How To Pitch Your Story
a.Identify Target News Outlets.
Make a prioritized list of local newspapers, websites, tv and radio stations that serve your community.
Just a few is fine to start!
Print Press
Valley Log
- Phone # Phone: (814) 447-3050
- https://www.facebook.com/thevalleylog/
Radio Stations
We have a great event coming up with Huntingdon County Library and Tuscarora Intermediate Unit 11. I wanted to see if it might be something you’d like to cover at Forever Media’s FROGGY 98.1. It’s called Family Code Night, an event happening all across the United States, featuring Hour of Code puzzles from Code.org, and it’s a totally fun, nationally celebrated family event at which K-5 kids and their families might be trying out their very first hour of computer coding, together. Please contact me for the complete press release.
MERF
Froggy & Bigfoot
WRXV-FM 89.1 RevFM
Juniata College
https://sites.google.com/a/clubs.juniata.edu/wkvr/
TV Media Press
WPSU – PBS State College
WITF – PBS Harrisburg
WTAJ – CBS Altoona
WJAC – NBC Johnstown
WHP – Harrisburg
WHTM – Harrisburg
WKBS – Independent Altoona
B.. Find the Right Person to Talk To at Those You Plan to Contact.
Call the outlet or visit their website to ask
“Who covers Education or Community trends for you?”
If no “beat” reporter/producer covers these topics, ask to speak with the managing editor or assignment desk, who assign stories of all descriptions to their staff.
- Pitch the Story.
Call your identified contact(s) at least a week before your Family Code Night.
In your calls, keep in mind that the #1 rule of successful media relations: the goal is to help the press cover a great story, in any way you can.
Invite them to attend, then help them get pix of Pairs at work, interview willing and interested kids and parents, or talk to your Principal about why K-‐5 CS ed matters.
- Talking Points: For Principal or Organizers’ Phone Call to Reporters/Producers
Event Description.
We have a great event coming up with Huntingdon County Library and Tuscarora Intermediate Unit 11 (TIU 11), and I wanted to see if it might be something you’d like to cover at the Huntingdon Daily News. It’s called Family Code Night, an event happening all across the United States, featuring Hour of Code puzzles from Code.org, and it’s a totally fun, nationally celebrated family event at which K-5 kids and their families might be trying out their very first hour of computer coding, together.
Our K-‐5 kids and their parents, doing perhaps their first hour of programming, in a White House-‐recognized program, since March 2016, we’re bringing to all the schools and communities in Huntingdon County for the first time. The White House and the Pennsylvania department of Education promotes the Computer Science for All initiatives.
White House statement for CS for All – since January 2016
PDE statement for CS and STEM for All – since August 2017
We expect a “Zoom room” full of around sixty or more kids and parents, grandparents, caregivers and older siblings enjoying computer programming together, perhaps for the very first time.”
Human Interest/Great Visuals.
“The event should offer great human interest/education photo/video opportunities. You could get great grid view shots of our Zoom Room full of buzzing Pairs, and close ups of child-‐parent Pairs at work.” Interviews???
[remember, press need visuals – think of good pictures, video, charts, interviews]
A fun story.
“Our K-‐5 kids and parent teams will be tackling self-‐paced coding puzzles based on Angry Birds and other familiar characters.
The Zoom room will be buzzing and full of laughter and fun, plus some important learning. We will have break-out rooms where local Kids Who Code Club Members are available to coach and mentor any child and their family members.”
Why This Matters.
“Family engagement is vital in computer science education. Pennsylvania Department of Education …. The White House has recognized the Family Code Night program, which is now being held at schools all over the country.
Why?
First, parents have a special role for K-5 kids: K-5 kids’ self-beliefs are primarily influenced by their parents. It’s now understood that elementary school is when kids’ beliefs begin to become permanent, whether it’s ‘I’m not good at math’ or ‘coding is just for the nerds,’ when nothing could be farther from the truth.
Second, we increasingly see the crucial role of parents and K-5 CS learning in overcoming the digital divide among girls, lower-‐income kids, children from diverse backgrounds and children with special needs.
Overcoming gender, economic and cultural digital bias requires us to show young kids they can master coding and computer science. \
Good K-‐5 CS programs can change the rest of our kids’ lives. Over the next ten years in Pennsylvania, it is estimated that 71 percent of new jobs will require computer science skills.
Currently, there are more than 17,000 unfilled computer science and software development jobs in Pennsylvania with an average salary of $85,000 per year. ” PDE STEM What is STEM Education?
- Draft Press Advisory
(edit this, then email your version to reporters)
Press Advisory Family Code Night:
A Special Event with Huntingdon County Library and Tuscarora Intermediate 11
Event Date & Time: Tuesday, December 1st, 2020 from 6:30 – 8:15.
Contact: Claire Williams, Librarian at Huntingdon County Library
cwilliams@huntingdonlibrary.org
https://www.huntingdonlibrary.org/
Or
Peney Wright, STEM/STEAM Curriculum and Instruction Specialist at TIU 11
Event registration: Zoom link upon registration with SignUp.com
We’d like to invite <INSERT name of media outlet> to share in this ground-breaking computer science education event, Family Code Night, with Huntingdon County Library and Tuscarora Intermediate Unit 11. A family survey will be requested after the event with quotes to publish. Screenshot photos will also be available.
Family Code Night is a free, fun whole-school family event at which children K-‐5 and their parents or any family member enjoy computer programming “puzzles” and perhaps do their first hour of coding together.
Featured on the White House website and the front page of the New York Times, this family-engaging evening event is being offered at elementary schools around the country, all in support of the national “Computer Science for All” movement.
The event is a delight for parents and kids alike.
More information on Family CodeNight is at www.FamilyCodeNight.org and the FAQ page you’ll find there.
The event evening with Huntingdon County Library and TIU 11, for our Family Code Night will be held virtually by Zoom Meeting on Tuesday, December 1st, 2020 from 6:30 to 8:15 PM. Join in any time between 6:30 and 6:45 with general questions and to get set up. We’ll get families organized and ready to start coding. Then we will start the Hour of Code at 7:00 PM. Please call with any questions.
We hope to share information with you to cover this important, fun event in local education!